Bring us the features! An Ars staff wish list for iOS 7

We tell you our suggestions for iOS 7 and invite you to tell us yours.

It's 2013, which most likely means another major iOS update will soon come down the tubes from Apple. iOS 7 has already begun popping up in some server logs—no huge surprise, since Apple is constantly working on its next big thing(s). But so far, we know virtually nothing about what to expect from iOS 7. After all, the general public is still only on iOS 6.0.2, with iOS 6.1 reportedly just around the corner.

While the 6.1 update will undoubtedly improve on what we already have, iOS 7 has the potential to make significant changes and improvements to how iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad users interact with their devices. So, what better opportunity for the Ars staff to dream and speculate about what we'd really like to see Apple do with its next major release? I asked a number of our iOS-using staff members to tell me the most important items on their wish lists and came up with a list of eight things we think would be great to see when iOS 7 is released to the public.

1) Let us set and remove our own default apps

Could there be a more common complaint about iOS than this? Users are dying to have the ability to specify their own default apps for things like Web browsing, mapping, task management, notes, and more—but Apple won't let us. The time is now: Apple should add a panel in the iOS Settings that lets us do this so that when we click a link from another app, we don't have to use Safari, or when we tap on an address on a webpage, we don't have to use Maps.

This has long been a common request from Ars staffers, and it topped the list when I asked this time around as well. "Apple could even provide some kind of spec that a third-party app would have to conform to before it can be allowed as the new default e-mail client," John Siracusa said. "It doesn't have to be as wide open as it is on OS X, but I don't think it can stay as closed as it is now forever." On that same note, isn't it about time for us to be able to delete Apple's default apps? You know, the ones we all shuffle into their own folder on the last Springboard screen (mine is called "Shit I never use"), such as Stocks, Compass, Game Center, or whatever else doesn't strike your fancy. "The ability to remove default iOS apps (like the thrice-damned Newsstand and Game Center) would be wonderful," said Reviews Editor Lee Hutchinson, but I doubt it will ever happen."

2) Take Do Not Disturb to the next level

We like Do Not Disturb, which was introduced with iOS 6 in late 2012, even though it has run into some high-profile bugs lately. The feature allows us to schedule times when our devices won't ring, buzz, or light up when receiving calls or notifications—great for trying to get some uninterrupted sleep, or during important times of the day. But the feature is still very basic—you can only schedule one time block at a time (say, 11pm to 7am every day), or manually turn it on/off as needed.

As Chris Foresman pointed out, iOS users could really benefit from the ability to apply finer-grained scheduling to the Do Not Disturb feature. "Being able to have different schedules for different days of the week," he said, would allow people to specify different times for weekdays versus weekends, or add special items like regular business meetings. Apple could also take this feature to the next level by stealing a feature from RIM and the BlackBerry: power management. Some of us would rather just have our iPhones (or other iOS devices) shut down altogether at certain times of day—call it a more forced version of Do Not Disturb. "All Macs have power management options, including the ability to have a device shutdown at a specific time and wake up at a specific time," Ars Editor-in-Chief Ken Fisher said. "The BlackBerry has had this functionality for years. Apple could land on the right side of green by including this support."

3) Multiple users per device—or at least a kid mode

We're sure you've heard this one before—how many times have you handed your iDevice to a family member or friend, only to have them start digging into your e-mail or moving around your home screen icons? The ability to manage multiple users on a single device like we can on the Mac (and pretty much every other computing platform) would help mitigate this problem, though not everyone agrees such a feature would be helpful or easy-to-use on a tiny mobile device like the iPhone—perhaps it would be more useful on the iPad, a device that's much more likely to be shared among a family or roommates.

But even if you don't like the idea of a multi-user iOS device, users with kids seem to agree hands-down that a "kid mode" would be a huge help. It could be an extension of Apple's current Parental Controls that allows parents to flip a switch and put the device into a mode that allows limited access to only certain apps, temporarily turn off the ability to answer (or make) phone calls, limit the Web from all available apps, completely turn off in-app purchasing power, and so on. Even those of us without kids (myself included) could make use of this feature when visiting friends or family with children; I know I've had my iPhone co-opted by toddlers many times, only to find them making FaceTime calls to all my friends 10 minutes later. We don't mind handing over our iOS devices to children to distract themselves, but a way to keep them (and the devices) safe during that time would be a great feature to have.

4) A better way to organize and manage apps

The tapping and holding until apps start to wiggle. The dragging between screens. The apps shifting around when you don't want them to while you're trying to move something else. That annoying phenomenon when you realize all your infrequently used apps are piling up on the ninth-Springboard-screen-back. App organization drives us all crazy from time to time, and the Ars staff would like some fresh ways to clean up.

"I want some new thinking, like being able to swipe down to reveal widgets, and swipe up to reveal a drawer for fast moving of icons," Creative Director Aurich Lawson said. "It's time to acknowledge that the UI that was designed for a phone that didn't even have the concept of downloading apps hasn't kept up with the times." But if we're going to revamp how we organize apps on our devices, we should also revamp how we can manage them from the cloud, says Social Editor Cesar Torres. He pointed out that it's sometimes difficult to remember whether certain apps are still on the device or not (there might be some apps that you use very infrequently, but they're nice to have when you need them), and if they've been deleted, going through the App Store to find them again can be a pain.

"Amazon has a Cloud/Device set of tabs" that could be useful for this, Torres said. "Or something sort of like Dropbox's system, where if you star something, it gets stored locally. I would like for all apps to have a standardized way of showing you this, so you're always clear on what's in the phone and what's in the cloud." Torres thinks this should apply beyond apps, though—he thinks it should also apply to data stored within each app, and that third-party developers should work with Apple to come up with a more standard way to show whether documents are local, on iCloud, or stored somewhere else.

Jacqui Cheng
Jacqui is an Editor at Large at Ars Technica, where she has spent the last eight years writing about Apple culture, gadgets, social networking, privacy, and more. Emailjacqui@arstechnica.com//Twitter@eJacqui

426 Reader Comments

How about opening of video and audio formats? The ability to play 1080p mkv (the most popular format on the net for high def video) and other open formats like FLAC. My Apple devices can't play 90% of my media content.

1. Quick access to settings (widget-style toggles)2. Better alarm clock app (I mean c'mon, Android had this from the get-go) 2.1 Or the ability to set an alternate alarm clock app as default without having to jailbreak3. Backward compatibility with iPhone 4S at the very least

How about a true alternate keyboard. Swype exists for jail broken phones. Let it go legit!

I highly doubt that Apple will ever add features in order to make the jailbreak process less cumbersome than it already is. Yes, it's legal to do this if you want, but Apple has no obligation to support it. I'm not categorically against giving developers access to these components, but it's an entry into an area that MUST be tightly controlled or else it risks the goodwill that iOS has built up as a reliable system. If you follow along in Apple's footsteps, things will generally work. It's probably also worth mentioning why Apple has moved aggressively to crush anyone who tries to sell non-Apple hardware that runs Mac OS X - It would require an enormous support infrastructure and the high cost associated with it is likely money that is best spent elsewhere.

The ability to pair a Mac's Notifications Center and an iPhone's text messages (not just iMessages), phone calls, and app push notifications over Bluetooth and/or WiFi. This should be definable one-way or both ways. It would be nice to be able to reply to all text messages from a Mac keyboard. Perhaps even built in screen sharing so I could run an iPhone app with my Mac's touchpad and keyboard. I know there are apps that work the other way;Mac's screen from iPhone.

Cesar Torres can have at least a part of what he wants with regard to finding and re-installing deleted apps right now. On iPhone or iPod Touch click on Updates. At the top of the screen click on purchases, and you will be offered the option of "All" or "Not on this device". The second shows all the apps you purchased and deleted for that device. Select any to re-install. On iPads the App Store app has a separate "Purchased" tab that makes the job even easier. Plus you can choose either the iPad or iPhone apps to view and select from, in either alphabetical or chronological order. Feels nice to be able to deliver on a wish right away.

Allow third-party keyboards. This would open up a huge field of possible improvements. For one, it would enable innovative keyboards like Swype that bring new input styles to the table. On-device voice recognition could also be enabled this way to input into any app, rather than dictate into one app and paste into another app like you can no. Second, apps like TextExpander implemented as a keyboard could bring shortcuts to any app. Maybe an OCR app. The possibilities for innovation here are endless.

Maybe I'm not understanding this one. On a couple of my writing and note apps on the iPad I have different on-screen keyboard layouts. It is true the touchscreen keyboards operate in a system-standard way, but I don't believe there is a prohibition for modifying the keyboard or adding a row along the top. WriteRoom has a different keyboard than the usual Apple apps have. Another of my on-screen keyboards has list and indent buttons.

As someone who uses a bluetooth keyboard for his iPad I can't think that for people who want to do the kind of writing which requires special key layouts they would not be better off with a keyboard/cover/hardware solution to their problem. My bluetooth keyboard allows a lot more functionality for writing (and selection of text) than anything I get from the on-screen keyboard(s).

I'm okay with little bits of text and filling things out with the on-screen keys. But if I am doing e-mail, memos, and posting to forums then it's so much better (and faster) to have a real keyboard do the work.

Allow me to clarify: If 3rd parties are allowed to change the keyboard (Keys, Layout, etc.) they should at least be required to start from the standard Cocoa UI keyboard and build their functionality on top of that. The writing apps you mention (along with my personal favorites, Diet Coda or Prompt) look like they are using this approach to extend the typing capabilities of the platform. Apple has touched on this point at WWDC a few times and the pitch usually is something like this:

Quote:

Custom visual controls are generally allowed, but please use NSButton, etc. to build these objects. By doing this, when we (Apple) change the standard controls, you (Developers) will benefit from our work

In that light, something like Swype (Which doesn't look at all like a Cocoa control and requires a new interaction model with the keyboard) just doesn't fit with the rest of the platform and has (in its current incarnation) no place on iOS.

How about a true alternate keyboard. Swype exists for jail broken phones. Let it go legit!

I highly doubt that Apple will ever add features in order to make the jailbreak process less cumbersome than it already is. Yes, it's legal to do this if you want, but Apple has no obligation to support it. I'm not categorically against giving developers access to these components, but it's an entry into an area that MUST be tightly controlled or else it risks the goodwill that iOS has built up as a reliable system. If you follow along in Apple's footsteps, things will generally work. It's probably also worth mentioning why Apple has moved aggressively to crush anyone who tries to sell non-Apple hardware that runs Mac OS X - It would require an enormous support infrastructure and the high cost associated with it is likely money that is best spent elsewhere.

Basically, nothing you (cfinazzo) said is relevant to the post your responded to. The suggestion isn't about jail-breaking but allowing different keyboards.

1. Definitely "guest mode" - I don't have kids, but would love a way to let friends borrow my phone to do quick web searches, etc without exposing my personal stuff.

2. Display the battery percentage automatically once it reaches 10% or below.

3. Allow me to disable the phone from accessing 1G (GPRS) networks. 1G data is worse than useless, yet where I am the phone seems to cycle through that type of data fairly frequently, even in locations where 3G is available (after a minute it switches to 3G). I know this can be blamed on the carrier, but I want to disable it as I cannot think of a circumstance where this would be useful. It's too slow to even use whatsapp or do a google search.

Drag and drop file management. I shouldn't have to have Itunes as my gatekeeper for syncing media to my device. Itunes just makes the process much harder than it has to be.

I should be able to plug the device into any machine and see 3 folders. Videos, Music, and Files. I should be able to move anything in and out of the three folders simply. If some DRM doesn't sync up correctly then the Idevice tells me when I try to open the file on the device.

Apple needs to get over hiding the file tree to users. Its 2013 90% of people have learned what C:\ and my documents means. and understands intuitively a folder tree. Breaking this paradigm causes more anguish then it helps.

How about a true alternate keyboard. Swype exists for jail broken phones. Let it go legit!

I highly doubt that Apple will ever add features in order to make the jailbreak process less cumbersome than it already is. Yes, it's legal to do this if you want, but Apple has no obligation to support it. I'm not categorically against giving developers access to these components, but it's an entry into an area that MUST be tightly controlled or else it risks the goodwill that iOS has built up as a reliable system. If you follow along in Apple's footsteps, things will generally work. It's probably also worth mentioning why Apple has moved aggressively to crush anyone who tries to sell non-Apple hardware that runs Mac OS X - It would require an enormous support infrastructure and the high cost associated with it is likely money that is best spent elsewhere.

Basically, nothing you (cfinazzo) said is relevant to the post your responded to. The suggestion isn't about jail-breaking but allowing different keyboards.

I meant it in the context of how Apple has taken concepts and features initially present in jailbroken devices and implemented them in iOS. To an extent, this would mean that Apple is giving up some level of control over their platform while also admitting that these features are desirable or useful.

I will admit, this attitude has changed recently at Apple* but I'm not sure if they are willing to acknowledge or share credit with the jailbreak community.

No long after the whole iOS 6 Maps uproar, Google Maps was re-released on the App store and it actually has more features than the Android version. Case and point - Street View Motion Tracking. On an iPhone 5 with Google Maps in Street View, turning the phone to look right looks right. That function isn't available on my Galaxy Nexus...

Outstanding point regarding web pages that block zooming. Those designers should be forced to write and debug their code with iOS Notes app on a gen 1 iPhone while on a bus traveling across Afghanistan...

It was the existence of "how to" pages that acted like limiting the user's experience was some sort of lofty goal that pushed me over the edge with these people.

1. Quick access to settings (widget-style toggles)2. Better alarm clock app (I mean c'mon, Android had this from the get-go) 2.1 Or the ability to set an alternate alarm clock app as default without having to jailbreak3. Backward compatibility with iPhone 4S at the very least

Not asking for much here... right?

Well. While I agree with 1. I think that Apple wants you not to care for such things at all. WRT WiFi this works great, I have long stopped to micro-manage my WiFi radio and just keeping it on all the time doesn't make any difference in battery life as I was surprised to notice. iOS seems to power down WiFi just perfectly when it's not needed. BT is a different beast, I think. But all in all: I HAVE widget-style toggles in the notification center (thanks to SBSettings) and I hardly ever use them. Maybe once a month, really. Basically I think a smartphone should be able to manage its power on its own.

Still, when you long-press the sleep/power button you get a pane asking if you want to power down the iPhone. Adding power-related toggles like airplane mode, WiFi, mobile data and BT here wouldn't harm anyone and it wouldn't waste space or confuse the technophobes in the notification center or elsewhere. If you need it, it would be one button press away and if don't need it you wouldn't have to care. In fact I have added a few things as a menu with Activator there (jailbreak app) and it's totally fine.

2.: What's wrong with the alarm clock? In fact I have an iPhone and a Nexus 7 with the latest and greatest Android and I like the iOS alarm clock much, much better. I even like it better than every single of the third-party alarm clocks for Android I tried. They all suck in one way or another. This really is the last thing iOS needs attention, really.

Backward compability: Yes, Apple really needs to stop castrating iOS on older hardware. If the hardware supports it, support it. If not, put up a nice, detailed document somewhere explaining why the hardware doesn't support it. Just stop to herd customers into buying newer hardware by letting the marketing department manage features. As with many other things Apple is ruining its reputation by over-optimizing their profits in really mean ways sometimes. It's stupid.

Steve Jobs, when he announced FaceTime, promised that it would become a standard. Time to deliver.

Include FaceTime in iTunes so it runs on Windows and OS X machines. Add Linux while you're at it.

Make FaceTime available as an app on Android, Windows Mobile and Blackberry, with use requiring an Apple ID.

Upgrade FaceTime to permit calling in either voice or video modes, easily switching between either. Allow the leaving of either voice or video messages in case of missed calls. Allow FaceTime to display inset videos, Keynote presentations or Pages and Numbers files. Where permitted (like in the US and Canada) allow FaceTime to assign a mobile phone number so as to permit VOIP calls to landline phones and mobiles that don't have FaceTime on the receiving end.

Microsoft with Skype is almost at this level of functionality, Google voice is close but not international, and both Facebook and Google+ are headed there.

So, the time is now to do what Jobs said and launch first, or prepare to settle for another "me too".

I meant it in the context of how Apple has taken concepts and features initially present in jailbroken devices and implemented them in iOS. To an extent, this would mean that Apple is giving up some level of control over their platform while also admitting that these features are desirable or useful.

that's a pretty weird reverse logic: apple won't implement features that first appeal in jail-break apps because it would imply they are giving up control of their platform? so i guess samsung should fund platoons of underground hackers to implement all kinds of great features to prevent apple from improving their platform.

aside from that, apple has never shown any problem with taking third-party implemented features and re-coding them for incorporation in the OS. Mac OS and OS X have a long history of that and iOS has Passbook, etc.

I'd love to see "do not disturb" enhanced by adding sound profiles like RIM had years ago. If I'm on call for work, I need to be able to receive phone calls from certain people at night and text messages at high volume - the louder and more annoying the better. When I'm not on call, I don't want to be bothered unless it's a phone call from one of my favorites. I should be able to set up discrete sound profiles with logical names and select them from the notification center (on call, normal). This should be really easy, and a huge win not only for on-call technicians of all flavors, but anyone who likes to have their sounds "just so" for certain times of the day, during meetings, at church, etc.

5 - Search for a word within a web page (maybe a search icon in Notification Centre?)

You've been able to do this since iOS 4.3. Open the search field while you're on the page and start typing. You'll see an option that says "Find in Page" and it'll tell you the number of matches, as well as lead you to them. I use it almost daily.

Thanks for the awesome tip! I guess I win "the head up a**" award for missing this for so long.

Now, what I wish for is a little drop down find box like on Safari desktop (and most other browsers) that I can quickly access/hide while remaining on the page...

I meant it in the context of how Apple has taken concepts and features initially present in jailbroken devices and implemented them in iOS. To an extent, this would mean that Apple is giving up some level of control over their platform while also admitting that these features are desirable or useful.

Occasionally it looks as if Apple has totally lost any connection to the needs of their users.

There are LOTS of small improvements available in Cydia that Apple could just add without anyone noticing as long as he doesn't need it. Things like the home button returning you to the app you launched another app from (as in after tapping a link in an email to open Safari returning you to the Mail app instead of the home screen), moving the cursor by swiping over the keyboard/spacebar, having an actually useful menu after long-pressing the sleep/power button (from Activator), setting an alternative default app (like a browser), giving you the dictionary as a choice in the Spotlight pane (hey, the dictionary in iOS is totally great) and many other things. Apple really, really needs to put some love into iOS. Install a small team of people to hunt down and fix all these small annoyances and shortcomings and iOS would be a lovely OS again within three months.

Did Apple pay Ars to conduct a survey for them? Because that's what this smells like.

It'd be nice if Apple *did* pay Ars, nicer still if Apple listened and acted accordingly. I suspect the more likely listener is an Apple competitor looking for what Apple *doesn't* have, and potential buyers want.

I thought so for a long while but then I noticed that just leaving the automatic brightness control do its thing works just fine. I have even configured swiping left/right on the status bar to decrease/increase brightness (Activator with the Brightness action) -- and never use it. There are things you want to have desperately and when you have them you notice you don't need them and then you feel really sheepish.

Did Apple pay Ars to conduct a survey for them? Because that's what this smells like.

It'd be nice if Apple *did* pay Ars, nicer still if Apple listened and acted accordingly. I suspect the more likely listener is an Apple competitor looking for what Apple *doesn't* have, and potential buyers want.

I could live with that. I've had iPhones since the beginning but I've been so disappointed lately that I almost want them to fail. They're not going to innovate if they sell record numbers of phones on laurels and reputation alone.

The things I would wish for iOS we will never get (from apple at least)

I want to be able to make my own apps, without having to pay Apple and without having to use the App-store.

Apples walled garden was the only reason to make the switch to android, back when iOS was still clearly better. And now it appears the tables have turned. Most requests I see here are things I have on android already and only convince me there is no need to switch back.

You can make your own apps without having to pay Apple. Unless you want to sell your apps. What's wrong with the App Store?

Apple needs to get over hiding the file tree to users. Its 2013 90% of people have learned what C:\ and my documents means. and understands intuitively a folder tree. Breaking this paradigm causes more anguish then it helps.

I'm sorry but that's simply not true. I tutor people in basic computer fundamentals. It's those file system basics that non geeks have the BIGGEST amount of trouble with. Hierarchical organization of folders within folders seems perfectly logical to you or I, but it's a massive conceptual stumbling block for many. I have years of experience with people who do not even know what applications came preinstalled on their computers, nor how to find this information. Doesn't matter what OS or platform. Protection from the visible file system may be one of the biggest ingredients in the iPhone's popularity with the general public, i.e., no one reading Ars Technica.

Edit: that said, the idea of eliminating iTunes as a file management gatekeeper and being able to do it via drag and drop on the desktop when connected to a personal computer is a good one. As much trouble as novice users have with the file system, the iTunes thing is even more unintuitive.

I meant it in the context of how Apple has taken concepts and features initially present in jailbroken devices and implemented them in iOS. To an extent, this would mean that Apple is giving up some level of control over their platform while also admitting that these features are desirable or useful.

that's a pretty weird reverse logic: apple won't implement features that first appeal in jail-break apps because it would imply they are giving up control of their platform? so i guess samsung should fund platoons of underground hackers to implement all kinds of great features to prevent apple from improving their platform.

aside from that, apple has never shown any problem with taking third-party implemented features and re-coding them for incorporation in the OS. Mac OS and OS X have a long history of that and iOS has Passbook, etc.

That's fair, but my point really was in the second part of the post (which was not quoted). When Apple does take features from jail broken devices, they don't acknowledge it, e.g, "Users have told us they want this" is probably all we hear about it. While they take the feedback into account, Apple probably would like to think that this group of users doesn't exist. Developers are welcome to build on top of iOS, but changing the fundamentals of how the system works are (understandably) frowned upon.

Why do I have to delete a few dozen spam messages a day in order to see a few important emails?

I have all my emails go to both my phone and my desktop. I have one email address I've had for well over 20 years. I have many "old friends" who know only that email address and only send something to me occasionally -- and only at that address. Because I've had it so long it gets a LOT of SPAM. And because I've had it so long with such a diverse set of old friends that send to it, I do not want to shut it down or ignore it.

Why can't I create a "White List" of emails that go to my phone so that only those addresses or mail sources (it could be an entire company) get picked up by my phone in the first place?

Edit: Clearly I didn't define the issue well enough. The point really is, "Why must all that junk get downloaded into my phone in the first place?" With a "White List" it would only download those from people/companies I've chosen to receive "immediate" email from. The rest (including dumping all that SPAM) can wait until I get back to my desktop machine.

And while I'm at it, if you delete 50 emails (out of the 250 on your phone) the display shows you 51 through whatever! You have to scroll manually back to the top to see those most recent emails. Why does it not snap back to #1 through X? That's bugged me about the iPhone from the first moment I saw one in action.

It's crazy to still have this in place, and I've had my phone jail broken since I bought it to get around the issue. It's the main reason why I'm still on iOS 5, since there's no untethered jailbreak for iOS 6+...well that and the maps fiasco.

Seriously, this alone prevents calendar and reminders from being useful. They have an anaemic little beep that goes off once which I never hear, or it goes off when I'm in the middle of something. Let me snooze it and get back in a minute or two

Apple needs to get over hiding the file tree to users. Its 2013 90% of people have learned what C:\ and my documents means. and understands intuitively a folder tree. Breaking this paradigm causes more anguish then it helps.

I'm sorry but that's simply not true. I tutor people in basic computer fundamentals. It's those file system basics that non geeks have the BIGGEST amount of trouble with. Hierarchical organization of folders within folders seems perfectly logical to you or I, but it's a massive conceptual stumbling block for many.

In iOS it would be much worse. Apps have a sandboxed directory (even with a randomized name to make things harder for code that manages to run on the device unauthorized) and are not allowed to read or write anywhere else. Getting access to the "file tree" wouldn't help you a bit. You wouldn't even find your fucking files.

And to all the Fandroids (sorry): Having a file manager that gives you access to a file tree that to 95% is filled and populated and changed by apps all on their own is more than just confusing. Look at any Android device which has/had a decent amount of apps installed and you will find a jungle of directories and files you haven't saved there, have no idea what they're for and if you can safely trash them or not. Having random apps and the user share a common space for dropping things to the ground is just a bad idea.

Apple has perfectly recognized that problem. They just missed to offer a solution. A document manager that lists all documents you've received or saved or handed from one app to another, with tags you can apply to them and a search field and an ability to sort them and to export, print or open them in any app that supports that file type would be a MUCH better thing than a plain file manager. Apple could offer this easily. The basics for that are there. Apple just doesn't care, that's all. And exactly this is the problem here. They don't care. Maybe they have to sooner or later.

Seriously, this alone prevents calendar and reminders from being useful. They have an anaemic little beep that goes off once which I never hear, or it goes off when I'm in the middle of something. Let me snooze it and get back in a minute or two

Use Google for your calendar and configure it (at Google) to send you a text as a reminder. You'll get the text sound and get it twice and see it on the lock screen.

Anyway, at least with iOS you can have your scheduled events for the next 24 hours in the notification center as a kind of easily accessible agenda. I totally hate it with Android on my Nexus 7 that I get only a notification when I actually configure a reminder for an event and this then is even pushed down and out of the screen by those totally top-priority system notifications like auto-updates and similar. And they even don't show a date, so that you may see a birthday reminder for days without any indication which day it was.

(I would really like Ars to run an article about what I would like to see in Android 5, by the way.)

but the whole "commas are use as periods in other languages" that's just stupid, periods have been used as periods for a longgggg time, why don't those other languages just catch up?

INB4 downvotes.

I was not saying that other languages use "commas as periods" (they don't). Many other languages just use longer, as in more complex, sentences and tend to structure them with commas then. Or was this a joke? Hmm.

If that's not what you were saying, then you use "full-stop" in a very strange way...

When I said that there are languages that use two or three commas for every full stop I meant to say that there are often two or three as many commas as full stops in a sentence. Like, three commas and one period. Sorry, English is not my first language.

Oh, I see sorry for my slightly rude response, and the misunderstanding.

Why do I have to delete a few dozen spam messages a day in order to see a few important emails?

I have all my emails go to both my phone and my desktop. I have one email address I've had for well over 20 years. I have many "old friends" who know only that email address and only send something to me occasionally -- and only at that address. Because I've had it so long it gets a LOT of SPAM. And because I've had it so long with such a diverse set of old friends that send to it, I do not want to shut it down or ignore it.

Why can't I create a "White List" of emails that go to my phone so that only those addresses or mail sources (it could be an entire company) get picked up by my phone in the first place?